Krua Porn La Mai @ Bangkok Chinatown [Thailand]

There are so many eateries in Chinatown at Bangkok that it can be hard deciding which one to choose for our next meal, especially when I prefer to check out new places! Not for Alex though; if he has his choices, it would be Tee Yok for breakfast every single day. 

Thanks to Google Maps (I am so grateful for its existence), we found Krua Porn La Mai. With a decent score of 4.1 from over 800 reviewers, I almost couldn't find the shop as the words "Krua Porn La Mai" were in Thai! 

Thanks to a few weeks of Thai lessons that I took back in Singapore, I am aware that krua means kitchen and that's a common name for eateries in Thai that focused on homely Thai food. With just two of us (one of whom is picky Alex), I am afraid we can't order too much. 

Fried Seafood Omelette - I was expecting fluffy eggs and what was delivered was just a hotplate full of deep fried stuff! Now, I am sitting on the edge here as I definitely love deep fried stuff, although I also enjoy some fluffy in my eggs. 

After taking a bite, I concluded this was like a gigantic prawn fritter with much crisp and the delicious flavor of seafood. The problem was that the taste got a bit cloying after a while, and it didn't help that Alex literally ignored it after one bite and leave everything for me to clean up!  

Crab Fried Rice - for someone who doesn't take much rice in Singapore, it's amazing how much I was craving for crab fried rice in my last trip to Bangkok! 

My verdict? Too wet, too peppery and frankly, just bits and pieces of crab that didn't really contribute much to the overall flavor. For 120 baht, I would say the amount of crab was acceptable. However, while it was flavorful, it was more on the peppery side.

I would suggest adding chilli sauce to enhance the dish! 

 

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As mentioned earlier, the competition between eateries is fierce in Chinatown at Bangkok and my meal at Krua Porn La Mai wasn't memorable enough to warrant a second visit. 

Address

590 592 Charoen Krung Road, 

Samphanthawong, Bangkok 10100, Thailand

Map

As above. 

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Fried Seafood Omelette - 150 Baht

Crab Fried Rice - 120 Baht

Hongdae Ip Gu Korean BBQ Restaurant at Permas Jaya in Johor [Malaysia]

It's no secret I love barbecued food and Korean BBQ is one of my weaknesses! Nowadays, I prefer visiting Johor for their Korean BBQ restaurants given the favorable exchange rate and that the Malaysian state has quite a few highly reviewed ones. 

Hongdae Ip Gu was recommended by at least two friends and this was actually my second visit, together with Alex. As the location was at permas jaya, further away from the causeway, we took the opportunity of a staycation at Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel to officially review it! 

In addition to quality marinated meats and a satisfying array of nine side dishes, I love the fact that the service staff can help you barbecue the meat outside the restaurant, so that you don't get the stench of greasiness sticking to your clothes and body after you leave the restaurant.

Always enjoy the complimentary water in Korean restaurants! One thing I noticed; don't they always use the same kind of bottles? Guess they were all sponsored by the same soju brand. 

Nine types of side dishes! Only one lacking was the spicy spring onions which was chargeable at RM 7.00! Nonetheless, I like the fish cakes and surprise, surprise, the mashed potatoes; although the most memorable was from Friends Tasty Korea in Singapore! 

Almost forgot to show you the interior of the restaurant! It wasn't insanely big and even though there was the UFO exhaust system; many people appeared not to cook the meat themselves. p.s. the eatery was Korean owned as I recalled seeing the owners on my first visit. 

Marinated Pork and Chicken Soy Sauce - there were the more-worth-it promotional sets but we had to leave some stomach space for the Permas Sunday Night Market later that evening; hence, just two meats and no starch (save from those side dishes).

And we had them with a lot of lettuce; I think we asked for a total of at least three servings! Anyway, the pork was well marinated and grilled perfectly; texture wasn't tough and I enjoyed the fatty bits! Soy chicken had a tougher texture and had this salty sweet spiciness that was not bad. Between both meats, pork was better! 

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You wouldn't see the last of me at Hongdae Ip Gu! I always wanted to bring my mom to have Korean BBQ in Malaysia but high chance we would have seafood tzechar instead! 

Address

46, Jalan Permas 10/7, 

Bandar Baru Permas Jaya, 

81750 Masai, Johor, Malaysia

Map

As above.

Operating Hours

As above. 

(Closed on Thursdays every two weeks)

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Marinated Pork - RM 41.00

Chicken Soy Sauce - RM 39.00

(Subject to Service Charge and Tax)

The Pine Farm & Cafe next to Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market in Bangkok [Thailand]

We were looking for an air-conditioned place to chill after our boat tour at Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market and Google Maps pointed us to the The Pine Farm & Cafe right across the commercialized waterway.  

To be frank, I wasn't expecting too much from the cafe as cafe hopping wasn't really my cup of tea. The allure of the air-conditioning was definitely a huge draw. 

I was wonder what the farm meant and the answer was evident right after we stepped past the main gate; an enclosure of some kind that inferred that this would likely be an animal farm.

And here they are; the giant tortoise! They were fortunate to have already sought refuge under shelter as it started storming after we arrived. 

Another enclosure; albeit an aviary.

Let's check it out! 

So many adorable, and friendly rabbits! I couldn't resist sending videos and pictures to my family and my younger sister was so excited; she decided to include this cafe on her next trip to Bangkok! 

p.s. such animal farms might not appeal to everyone. There would always be ethical questions. Were the rabbits friendly or they were hungry? I did notice there's a notice indicating the sale of bird and rabbit feed at 20 baht from the cafe.

Cacti garden! 

And a sale gallery for cacti. This reminded me of those cacti farms in Cameron Highlands; my last trip was a few years ago, before the pandemic. Maybe I should plan for another trip there soon! 

Finally inside the cafe; which was like a converted green house with full height windows bringing much natural sunlight into the cafe. I don't understand why it was almost devoid of customers as the air-conditioning was strong! 

Another cacti corner in the cafe.

A beautiful drawing of Bangkok, including locations of two floating markets that are near each other; Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market and Taling Chan Floating Market! 

Mocha - since the storm wouldn't be letting anytime soon, I opted for a hot beverage so that I can slowly sip to spend the time. No complaint about the mocha.

The Pine Cheese Toast - since this had the words "the pine", we presume this would be signature. With icing powder topping the toast; what I didn't expect was how melty the cheese was!

My Thai friend was in awe! Haha. Anyway, it was not bad tasting although I prefer a sweet, instead of cheesy filling. There were other toasted bread with toppings like strawberry jam, chocolate or condensed milk. 

French Fries Cheese - in addition to a cheese dip, the fries were also sprinkled with cheese powder that literally made them into chezel like fries! Only issue? The fries weren't crispy enough. 

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Address

68, 1 Bang Ramat Rd, Bang Ramat, 

Taling Chan, Bangkok 10170, Thailand

Map

As above. 

Website

https://thepinefarmandcafe.wixsite.com/website

Menu

As above. 

Pricing

Mocha - 80 Baht

The Pine Cheese Toast - 110 Baht

French Fries Cheese - 125 Baht